Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Chapter 340

Whitney rolled her eyes in frustration and said, "Of course, I'm thrilled. All thanks to Bryce's legwork..." Bryce?

Ludwik's eyes darkened instantly, his patience wearing thin. "Bryce? You think he's qualified to help you?" "If not him running around, then who? You?" Whitney shot back with a cold gaze.

Ludwik was fuming.

Normally, he wasn't one to seek recognition, but this woman had a knack for driving him to the edge.

He loomed over her with a chilling sneer, "Do you think anyone in Banyan City has the clout to get a criminal released on the spot? Bryce is nothing but a speck of dust in the high court. You naïve fool!"

If it hadn't been for her tears and Keegan's undeniable innocence, he wouldn't have bothered showing a shred of compassion.

After all, his mother was still bedridden, a living ghost...

Whitney was momentarily taken aback, disbelief etched on her face. Did he intervene on her behalf?

Satisfied with her reaction, Ludwik's eyes narrowed slightly, his lips curling into a proud, cold smirk. "Ever wondered why Parker suddenly changed his mind and helped you find Jaxon's daughter?" Whitney paused, recalling Parker mentioning someone wanted to help her.

She had assumed it was Tiana who had convinced Parker...

So, it wasn't her after all.

Her fingers clenched slightly, realizing she hadn't considered the possibility that Ludwik had given Parker the nod.

But wasn't he on Elaine's side?

Reading her mind, Ludwik's lips thinned, his expression turning grim. "I'm not as morally blind as you think. I wasn't familiar with Keegan's case; I thought Jaxon was merely a witness. If you needed to find his illegitimate daughter to ensure a fair trial, I was willing to assist. Little did I know, the Bartels family was the real culprit behind it all..."

Whitney suppressed the turmoil in her heart, her tone icy. "So, Mr. Lippert, you mean to say you had no idea the Bartels family were the murderers, hence your fairness. Had you known beforehand, I wonder if you would've been so just, considering your ties to Elaine." "Are you deliberately twisting my words?" He hadn't been partial to Elaine! And yet, no word of thanks.

"Ungrateful much?

tone laced with sarcasm. "Your intervention wasn't meddling; it was merely not contributing to the tyranny. Have you ever stopped to think why the mighty Bartels Group, Zane included, would go to such lengths to have my uncle

It was clear in court that the Bartels family, one of the top families in Emperor City, had no apparent reason to target Keegan, a

when he confronted Elaine,

into a cold laugh. "Your beloved Elaine and the Bartels family have a vendetta against my uncle's family, the Tennysons! That's why Zane was in a hurry to silence my uncle, to eradicate the Tennysons. The Bartels family had wronged the Tennysons

handsome face darkened at her

real enemy was the Bartels Group, and Keegan had mistakenly targeted him for

which had turned him and Whitney into sworn enemies, was actually a misdirected vendetta against the real culprits, the

chill towards the Bartels

"To target a disabled man, Ludwik, do you still believe the Bartels Group and Elaine are righteous? Think about it, have you truly understood this family?" Ludwik's expression

today, he had been unaware of the Bartels Group's murky history in Emperor City. Sure, Whitney's narrative was to be taken with a grain

And Elaine...

it was time to reassess his opinion of

previous doubts arose during an incident involving bullying

towards a non-biological

character. Growing up in such a family, could Elaine truly be as pure as he

cast a profound look at Whitney, her eyes clear and striking even in

he thought she might have made a wonderful mother had she been the one

Elaine wasn't as kind-hearted as he had thought, and Whitney wasn't

away, dialing Felix. "The Keegan case, if

shadow in the

about the facts, but she hoped a seed of doubt would sprout between him and Elaine.

coldly, catching the man's gaze as he looked back, his eyes dark

head to grab some clothes, her silence clearly meant she wanted to end the

with a cigarette in one hand, leaning against the railing. Was he really that bored

with the case, got no thanks, and instead caught some sarcasm.

Whitney was speechless.

How could he have the nerve, especially when it was his Elaine who caused the mess, and now he